Eris in Astrology, Envy and a Movie Review: Good Will Hunting
Will Hunting is a great example of the Eris individual who has grown into a maverick and unconventional. Yet immature, battle-hungry and competitive, angered by childhood abuse he has endured, and been traumatised by.
Will needs help, but who can help such a confrontational, defensive person heal from their righteous rage and lawless strife?
This movie review is based on concepts explained in previous articles on this website, relating to Astrological Eris, Envy and the Eris Square Pluto transit activated 2020/2021. This energy will be strongly active in our consciousness until 2028 and beyond. Understanding the energy is important. In the first few minutes of the movie, we see an introduction to Will Hunting (Matt Damon), a seemingly confident, but likeable young man.
The story shows the most brilliant mind at America’s top university isn’t a student or a professor, he’s the working-class kid who cleans the floors.
He has an unparalleled gift for mathematics, yet he is the janitor at M.I.T. He is a wonder to those around him, but he is failing the lessons of life. As he confidently interacts with this friends with whom he has formed a loyal pact, it becomes clear that there is superficiality, self-destruction, abuse and selfishness.
It also becomes clear that Will (not yet 21) is headstrong, wants to be right, and resists change. He has mastered adverse circumstances through determination and courage. He has developed a strong will, and utilises powerful forward-moving energies, like a warrior, to seek fear (and people) out and defeat them.
Will’s intellectual prowess, his gift of the gab, and ability to one-up on others, makes the audience like him, yet it is also clear that the clever egotistical show is not sustainable for the soul. But this may be overlooked at first, as the story flows with lively scenes, as Will take a stance for social justice, and stand up with his buddies. And then employing the narcissism of the mind in the battles, pettiness, competition, victories, and other things the ego mind takes pride in… forcing others to take a loss, so they can get a diabolical self-esteem boost gain. Yet self-esteem, and self-worth are not the same thing… One comes from external sources, and another from within.
Will and his friends seek fulfilment, and seem to find their temporary, yet unsatisfactory pleasures… through cat and mouse games and cunning manoeuvres designed to thwart an opponent…
The players wanted to win pre-eminence, and letting everyone be persuaded of their superiority; that their rights should come first.
After one too many run-ins with the law, Will is forced to seek psychological help.
As he works his magic and pushes away one psychologist after the other, with his ‘tomfoolery’, until he lands in the office of Sean. They are kindred spirits who grew up in the same neighbourhood. In Will, the character played by Robin Williams, see a cocky, smug, inexperienced kid, who is unwilling to be held accountable for anything. He doesn’t want a mirror held up to him, although he is extremely intelligent. This psychology professor may be the only person who can reach Will, and help him find direction in his life, while he is forced to deal with himself.
As the story progress, both Will and the people he interacts with, trigger each other’s insecurities (Eris), and inadvertently creates a transformation (Pluto), in each other.
Eris has a reputation for making trouble, but this reputation only came about, for she liked to challenge the patriarchy, something Will clearly revels in as well. Eris isn’t going to be sidelined by the omnipotent male gods; those who keep the status quo in place. In this case, the structures of authority (Pluto in Capricorn) in society is represented by the university pecking order, the power of the law to put Will in jail, being pushed to bow down to the dictates of getting psychological help, as well as being pushed into a day job that just perpetuates the dysfunction of the status quo.
Eris want to show that she is powerful too, and wants to keep things in a certain kind of balance that trumps the status quo. Eris is unapologetically herself, and does not care to appease anyone. She owns her power and strength, and is not afraid to upset the status quo in order to do what she felt was right.
Sometimes we need discord, and the calamity that follows, in order to really wake up and change what we are doing and our approach to living, and this is certainly true for Will. Eris only brings a sense of instability and disharmony, when things need to change. It’s the discord that she brings, that helps to break the chains, end life long patterns, and disrupt the order and structure of the status quo.
Video: Chuckie (Ben Affleck) gives Will (Matt Damon) a friendly dose of reality.
It becomes abundantly clear to Will in the last few minutes of the story: that not only are the Professors of Mathematics intensely ENVIOUS of his extraordinary talents and abilities, but so is his closest friend Chuckie (played by Ben Affleck).
Envy has spoilt that which he most holds dear, and his illusions about life.
Will has the Eris AWAKENING moment and finally CLARITY, realising that HE has to change, release his attachments, bring emotional healing to his life, and make better choices to look after his own heart happiness.
Will discovers that the only one holding him back is himself.
Eris: Righteous Rage and Unhealed Anger
The lesson of Eris is deeply embedded in Will Hunting’s story, but first we need to look at why these youths find the personal transformational process of healing so difficult.
Astrologer Divine Harmony spoke last year about the righteous anger that has been boiling to the surface. She explains that Eris is a disruptive factor, but she disrupts those things, that had been trapped and suppressed below the surface for some time; simmering, boiling, seething. Like a volcano that had been stirring for some time, now seeking the path of least resistance for an exit, or an expression; to release the tension, so to speak.
Eris brings in disruption and chaos, but she also reveals the shadow aspects. Divine Harmony highlights an important factor about Eris in mythology (as it relates to Will Hunting); Eris disrupts things that had already been there, hiding in the undigested shadow, that need to come to the surface. When important personal emotions, disappointments, and issues had been continually stuffed down and ignored, it can make some people disassociate with their feelings, which is very bad indeed, as detailed in previous articles. We all have problems, but some of us cause our own problems, and then we need to find a way to deal with them.
Eris shows that if we don’t invite the shadow, and the disowned parts of ourselves in, Eris energy shows up anyway… to turn everything upside down…
Eris didn’t create the issues, she just revealed them…
So why can’t people heal from their anger, even when it is raging inside them? Keep reading…
“Slanderous-tongued envy, with look of deadly hate, rejoicing in the misfortunes of others.”
Eris: Psychological Projection, To Embarrass Another, An Epidemic of our Time
In the film, it is obvious that Will’s utilised psychological projection as a defence mechanism, in self-preservation, even while engaging in lawless strife.
Early in the film, we see a whole bunch of uncomfortable, embarrassing and annoying emotions erupt in the youth, that he may not know how to deal with, other than resort to violence. Will is extremely intelligent, and clearly he is capable of turning his life around. Yet, he Plays God with their sense of superiority as he and his buddies go out to mock others like a bunch of pirates, and find trouble, because they are experiencing a great deal of inner turmoil; of an emotional nature. Chronic projectors may likely experience a great deal of anxiety around other people, as well as other unpleasant emotions like anger, disappointment, resentment and prejudice on a daily basis.
Unconscious discomfort can lead people to allot unacceptable feelings or impulses to someone else, to avoid confronting them, in themselves.
Projection allows the difficult trait to be addressed, without the individual fully recognising it, in themselves. The energy is shifted onto some else, yet the emotions return… The psychological smoke and mirrors doesn’t really work…
Projecting is like dumping clutter into someone else’s living room, and then hating them for being messy. It's a way to avoid the responsibility of dealing with your own emotional clutter. Instead, making it someone else's fault.
Projection is another word for smear-campaign. To target an innocent party, to be seen as carrying the blame, for the dirty deeds of the projector.
Video: Will (Matt Damon) turns the tables on a condescending Harvard student who tries to make a fool of Chuckie (Ben Affleck).
Tripped up by what they refuse to look at within themselves.
Blind at the real source of their self-destruction, just like the Evil Queen (from Snow White), who blamed the innocent for her low self-esteem. The guilty party violently refused to see the truth. It’s always someone else’s fault…
Ultimately, they want others to feel what they feel…
People who are emotionally healthy and mature, don’t project. Why should they? They are not in denial. They have done the work, and don’t have any reason to blame, smear or deliberately make other people feel miserable.
To understand the anatomy of ENVY through Eris’ discovery chart, and why the “My Way or the Highway” people want to dump their bad feelings through psychological projection and scapegoating, to cause harm to Eris higher expression people, see this article.
Hubris is a dangerous character flaw: the intentional use of violence to humiliate or degrade. These are the people incased in pride and ego, punishing and dismissing other people, as part of not seeing their own dangerous character flaws, because they are in denial. Blind to the truth. Delusional. Unstable.
Eris: Lawless Strife, Retributive Justice, Volatile, and Vicious Abuse
Image: The blame concept.
According to famous psychologist Sigmund Freud these emotions are projected on to other people, so that other people become carriers of our own perceived flaws. In the film, other youths have to be beaten up in retributive justice where there is no regard for others, because they are seen as abusive. And the vicious abusers are not able to find healing; to end the dysfunctional behaviours and the misfortune they cause for others. This form of emotional displacement, onto another, makes it much easier to live with themselves. Why? Because everyone else is responsible/to blame for the misery – not Self.
Misplaced Anger!!! Not seeing things for what they really are.
As a result of externalising emotions, and perceiving them in others, Will continues to suffer with the violent, eruptive emotional strife. Being swayed by cruel and spiteful passions, reckless behaviour, and perversity. He may be creating false narratives that portray him as “a victim” or “the good/righteous person”, when the reality is that he isn’t.
Eris energy do bring the discord and strife of the heart to the forefront, but this chaos is not necessarily bad, as it shows the benefits of accountability. Eris energy has the guts to help us face truths, make radical changes, cut ties with the past, to claim a better future. Eris tells us that we are not helpless victims. We can change our lives. The evolution of Eris starts within, with the revengeful and forceful anger rising to the surface, to be heard, and for change to be realised.
The archetype of Astrological Eris is associated with that which is being exposed, or revealed for its true nature, and people’s true colours coming up to the surface.
Eris is the rude awakenings, being emotionally triggered, emotional repression, unresolved issues, and psychological baggage.
The restoration of balance that is resisted is highly rewarding, and is the antidote. Astrological Eris (and Pluto) is highlighted in 2020/2021 and reverberations will be felt for years to come, beyond 2028 actually, because they are a long and powerful transits.
This is partly why mental health is such an issue in society at present! It is time for astrologers and the general public to talk about this.
This is the smoke and mirrors game the ego mind plays. The victim mentality, that needs a villain, so that it can enjoy the perceived benefits of victimhood. It is always someone else’s fault.
This is an opportunity for growth. A chance to gain insight and understanding.Confidence-theft is the goal for Eris lower expression, but at the expense of staying false and inauthentic themselves while pretending virtue.
It is only immature people who don’t yet understand the tremendous benefits that comes from taking personal responsibility for Self, to face the ugly truths, and to fix unresolved emotional issues. The goal is moving towards emotional release and emotional maturity; which is something we see Will activating in himself at the very end of the movie. There are many highly skilled psychologists and other professionals who can help. Seek professional help if this story resonates with your unique situation.
Video: Sean (Robin Williams) teaches Will (Matt Damon) that not everything about life can be learned from books.
Being Snubbed, Abused and Righteous Rage
“ “You cannot heal anything if you don’t name it, if you don’t confront it. The person, whose voice has been ignored by the patriarchal status quo, now feels this urgency to come forward.“”
In the mythological story of Eris, she is snubbed by the other wedding guests, gods and goddesses. Eris was known for stirring up trouble, in the form of saying things people don’t want to hear, which is why they did not welcome her.
In the movie, Will is often seen talking about the excluded, marginalised, underpaid, abused and wrongfully gunned down. And the lack of recognition they get for being treated unfairly.
In Will’s case, his friends eggs him on, and counts on him to call out the BS, as their collective pain is pulled to the surface. They all believe that they should be heard and assert the truth, no matter if they come up against brick walls. They all feel the same way, which is why they gang up, to make trouble.
Will Hunting has a grudge and is angry at the self-serving patriarchal system, that have excluded and marginalised the lower class, from the opportunities enjoyed by the more privileged elitist groups (just like in the mythological story of Eris). Remember that Will was an orphan, who was deliberately physically abused by those foster carers, that he was entrusted to, supposedly to care for. He was uprooted, taken away and placed with multiple families due to abuse, possibly also due to his rage, spite and resentment for them. And his experience of an unfair system that doesn’t really care for everyone in society, yet fakes care.
This is why Will becomes an orchestrator of chaos.
Just like Eris is left out, as if her thoughts, feelings and opinions doesn’t matter, so Will too is in pain, and he lashes out, which then triggers others, which is the reason why he ends up in court, at the edge of being imprisoned. He wants to speak up and be heard, acknowledge the anger, and create a better world. He is not repressing his anger for anyone.
Eris transits helps us get in touch with our inner rage, and areas in our life where we feel slighted, and hopefully get to the intense pain underneath it all. It shows us how we may have used manipulation or drama to make a point, be heard, and seen by others, when we have not received the attention we needed or wanted. Perhaps Will would have liked to enjoy the benefits of a loving, stable family, and perhaps he does begrudge girlfriend Skylar (played by Minnie Driver) for her inherited wealth and privilege…
The circumstances of overt cutting others out leads to strife, if not directly then indirectly. Eris shows where we have experiences of not getting our share, being shunned, or in some way not included in the benefits that are afforded to others.
Astrologer Anne Ortelee describes in this video, that things tend to be violent and get destroyed under Eris transits, just for the sake of destruction, like a cannibal that just devours. She considers the arguments, faultfinding nitpicking and verbal diarrhoea as very typical of Eris transits. Anne also describes, that Eris plays on our hubris, and on our sense of unconquerableness.
Usually during Eris transits a person may be feeling huge waves of anger, which if allowed may naturally be followed by the energy of deep sorrow, that have to be released through weeping. It is evident that Will did not allow himself to go beyond the anger; deliberately… But with the help of Sean, he is able to let go of the defensiveness, and become vulnerable to look at his insecurities, and allow the painful emotions to flow.
We see in the film, that as soon as Will is able to finally face what has been holding him hostage, he sheds that false sense of Self (God complex), and follows his heart.
Breaking the chains of the past, so that he can walk into a future with bright opportunities.
What Eris asked of Will to look at, and revealed to him via provoking, triggers and mirroring from other people, ended up being his blessing in disguise… Wow… What a gift!
“There is a good and bad Eris and the whole energy is essentially about ethics and karma. The bad Eris is “lawless strife” which has no regards for others... while the good Eris abides by natural justice and is stirred into serious and purposeful action.”
In another video, Anne explains the importance of the origin story, when we find ourselves in a warlike situation. What is the blow-up and war actually about? Is it provoking someone’s insecurities, weakness or hubris. What is the actual issue, or the back-story, and do we need to participate in it? These clarifications are very important to calm the situation down for self awareness, because during Eris transits, chaos can escalate to such highs and hysterics, that people forget can what it is really all about. Without
awareness, these unconscious issues have agency and authority over our life.
In his podcast (23 min), astrologer Tom Jacobs explains that Eris is where we lash out when we feel weak, and ask ourselves; what do we do when we feel others are hurting us. When others challenge us, and make us feel small? Or when we feel vulnerable, because others are mocking us. This is where we have to learn how to deal with emotions and process them, and get grounded.
Eris: The Truth on Mental Struggle and Sleeplessness
Extreme sleeplessness is associated with times when Eris stations, and turns direction, as intensely observed by astrologer Divine Harmony. These are intensely stressful times when people worry, ponder, they ask why? In the mental struggle they try to justify or rationalise things, that perhaps take people down dangerous rabbit holes or conspiracy theories. People question: what is wrong with me? Not understanding the bigger picture… that feeling, instead of thinking is called for. This is the natural way.
We need to learn to access the energy and move the energy; but the energy felt during Eris transits is not really mental, it is emotional.
When the mind is given free-range it can go real crazy, but when the emotions are allowed and sat with in silence, it may bring a person to a grounded state, where the emotions can move through the body, and out, instead of staying stuck. See this article for some useful exploration and Eris emotional healing.
Mental Health & Psychological Transformations with Eris square Pluto
Good Will Hunting is a touching tale of a wayward youth who struggles to find his identity, living in a world where he can solve any problem, except the one brewing deep within himself; stuck energy of an emotional nature. Until one day he meets Sean who unlocks his mind and his heart.
It is a brilliant story of personal transformation, healthy self-empowerment, and the growing into emotional maturity, following an intense emotional eruption, and release of the heart. Like a volcano that finally releases the core pent up energy, to clear the path for vibrant new beginnings.
According to this website:
"Just like Pluto, Eris challenges and pushes our buttons when transformation and change is needed. She brings discord only when she knows that it’s time for a greater harmony to be born.
Think of an orchestra. As they all play together as one, beautiful music can be created. But if one musician starts to play out of time, it creates discord. Now, that musician could be playing out of time because they haven’t practiced, but it could also be because they are bored and ready for a new challenge.
This can happen within us too when we move out of alignment with our mind, body, and soul. It could be because we are needing to spend time to reconnect and go within, but it could also be because we are ready to level up and reach a new state of alignment.
Discord enters our life to guide us down this path. It enters our life so we can find ways to readjust and reprioritise our life. It either forces us to level up or it guides us to go within to find a greater sense of harmony and unity."
To understand Astrological Eris better, the analogy with Envy, and the solutions that Eris energy is providing, the reader will have to read previous articles.
“Eris doesn’t create discord, she shows us where discord already exists. She points out what is unacceptable, impractical, discordant. She stands up for those whose rights are violated.”
The psychological and emotional wastebasket of the entire planet is being shook; to empty its dysfunctional contents, for reevaluation.
What falls out on the table for all to see has been repressed by humanity for years, decades and millennia. It is shameful, guilt-ridden.
Sacred space for healing will have to be allowed.
The script writer of the film seems to know about the human psyche, how it ducks responsibility, and pushes blame onto others, how it dismisses the real gifts it has, and concentrates on running itself down.
How many people suffer from the same problems as Will? Only those who deny their own vulnerability will remain unaffected by this film.
Eris was the one goddess in the Greek world who did more than just start every fight, she was also the last to end one. Eris transits show that it is time for something emotional, unacknowledged or buried deep, to be brought out into the light. Until you do, there won’t be an end to the strife.
“ If there is any single 100% reliable principle in astrology, it is that every planet has both a higher purpose and the deep shadow.
What is humanity stretching to learn now in the Age of Eris? All the noise, violence, and hatred in the daily headlines derives fundamentally from our struggles – and our failures – to integrate the higher possibilities of this new planet.
How can we get it right?
How can astrologers help?
What will it take to save the world?”
About Good Will Hunting
Good Will Hunting was nominated for nine Academy awards. Starring, in alphabetical order: Ben Affleck, Casey Affleck, Cole Hauser, Matt Damon, Minnie Driver, Robin Williams, Stellan Skarsgård. It is a Miramax film.
Visit the website here: https://www.miramax.com/movie/good-will-hunting
Other articles on Astrological Eris and Envy:
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